Apps are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather than being rendered within a browser. Users visit device-specific portals such as Apple’s App Store, Android Market in order to find and download apps for a given operating system. A mobile app, is a software program application that you download from either Google Play (Android gadgets) or the App shop (iOS gadgets).An app is “native” to the tool on which it’s designed to run so it operates faster than a responsive internet site on the same device.An app doesn’t need a web connection, this means that your mobile app can always be opened and used. Makes it convenient for the user to just swipe the App on their smartphone to access the website.A mobile app is going to be a standard component of any business in the future.

One of the benefits of having a mobile app is that all the information you’d like to provide to your customers could be done through push notifications.Easily remind customers about your products and services.Improve your business enterprise: Build a Brand, Improve Customer Engagement and Loyalty.

Review the list below to determine how likely you are for a new eCommerce website.

If your e-commerce site experience any of the following issues, it's time to reconsider a complete rebuild.

1. Your eCommerce website is slow

Customers hate slow loading websites it will effect the conversion rates or time a user spend on your site.

Page load speed is an official Google ranking factor. Just a 400-millisecond slower time difference resulted in 0.44 percent fewer inquiries.

The average retail mobile site loads in 3.9 seconds, according to the most recent data, 40 percent of consumers that experience a loading time longer than three seconds will leave the site.

And 79 percent of buyers who are dissatisfied with performance of the site say they are less likely to buy again from the same site.

For retailers key engagement metrics such as average time on site, pages per visit, and bounce rates relate to conversion rates.

Test your page speed visit Google Page Speed Insights. If your site is slow, it might be time for a new site, or at least some site improvements or look for a faster hosting solution.

2. Your site is not mobile responsive

A responsive website automatically changes to fit the device you're viewing the website on. Responsive design adjusts to widescreen desktop monitor, the smaller desktop (or laptop), tablet and a mobile phone. You'd have much better results with your mobile traffic if you think in advance about the needs and wants of mobile users.More than 35 percent of all online shopping purchases is now done on mobile phones. To test your website visit Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. If your site is not responsive accessible, you will need a change.

3. Your site is difficult to update

If changing the home page banner or updating the product information on your site requires a developer or otherwise difficult, you may need a new website.

eCommerce platforms has many features, not the least of which is to manage content - or that the content is the product information, an information page, or a blog post. Your business should be able to to make quick changes.

4. Your Code Base out of Date

Web development keeps evolving new APIs, new frameworks, or new libraries always needs to be updated sometimes some upgrades is not compatible. Your website will stagnate and new features or performance will not be available.

eCommerce sites require regular maintenance, safe code and latest stable released software . If your site has an old code base, you may need to have the site rebuild.

Recurring Billing, Subscriptions and Ad Hoc Payments:

The recurring payment service will allow our customers to create two methods of recurring payments;

Recurring Service Method 1:

One method being a traditional subscription model of a recurring charge on a given date,

Recurring Service Method 2:

The other a one-click ad hoc model where the future dates and amounts of payments may be unknown.

Subscriptions:

The buyer who chooses to enter into a subscription from the shopping cart will, after checkout, be redirected to the payment gateway where only the credit card payment option will be available. After a successful first payment there is no need for the buyer to make any further manual payments for the subscription. The recurring amount will be deducted from their credit card in accordance with the time period, billing date and number of payments (cycles) given. Each successful payment will create an ITN to the shopping cart and will be able to manage the subscription via an API or from the payment gateway backend.

Ad Hoc Payments:

A buyer who agrees to enter into an ad hoc agreement from the shopping cart will, after checkout, be redirected to payment gateway where only the credit card payment option will be available. After a successful first payment there is no need for the buyer to make any further manual payments. For any future payments the website owner will only need to send a token value to the API to have the associated credit card of the buyer charged. On each successful payment, an ITN will be sent to the website owner and they will be able to manage the subscription via the API or from their the payment gateway backend.

Why use Recurring Billing, Subscriptions:

When offering an eCommerce membership an website like a Directory listing website can offer a time period Subscription for example 12 months with ither a month to month payment or an annual subscription.Recurring Billing could be setup and the customer would be charged indefinitely till they cancel the payment with the payment gateway.

Why use Ad Hoc Payments:

For instance when selling an ongoing service over a fixed time period, payment can be structured so that the buyer pay the service off in the number of payments (cycles).

An eCommerce Platform is a CMA (Content Management Application) software technology that allows you to build an online store for selling of products and services.

WooCommerce is the world's favorite CMA eCommerce solution.

How many websites use WooCommerce in 2017?

The current figure is 22,097,921. BuiltWith reports that in April 2017, a total of 1,986,324 in websites use WooCommerce, or 23,724 of the world’s top million websites.

How many online stores use WooCommerce in 2017?

“WooCommerce powers over 41% of all online stores.”

“Stats from Built With”. And on Built With, the current 2017 market share for WooCommerce is more than 41%:

WooCommerce and e-commerce platform usage stats 2017

WooCommerce is more popular than any of its competitors and is far ahead, compared to any other e-commerce platform. It’s over 8 times more popular than Magento or Shopify, which are 2nd in line for the title of most popular e-commerce platform.

Stats for e-commerce plugins?

94.3% of all WordPress e-commerce websites use WooCommerce instead of another plugin. Easy Digital Downloads is the second most popular, followed fairly closely by WP eCommerce and Ecwid. But none of them even close come to WooCommerce in the stats

Some web development companies usually builds ecommerce sites around the Shopify platform. New users are also tempted by WooCommerce, WordPress’ most popular eCommerce platform.

One of the main criteria to consider when you’re running an online store would be the platform from which you run your store on. The eCommerce platform that you use can either limit your success or hinder your conversion's.

What is WooCommerce?

The cheapest way to launch an eCommerce Store.

WooCommerce is an premier shopping cart component. It’s been downloaded over 2 million times. It is popular with retailers who are already familiar with the WordPress platform. It’s known for its simple installation, nonexistent transaction fees, and customization options.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a complete eCommerce solution that includes hosting, security and design templates, among other things. Over 100,000 live stores use Shopify.

WooCommerce is free open source where Shopify isn’t:

Shopify is known for its simple-to-use interface, customer support, and good security. These elements are available in the entry level monthly package. But it can get a little pricey.

The Package consists of an monthly pricing plan, along with transaction fees which, depending on the plan you choose, starts from $49.00 (ZAR 680.00) including the retail Retail Package.

These costs add up. And though Shopify is a turnkey, ready to use solution, many of its features are not available on the start up package like:

WooCommerce is free, save for the fees from your hosting provider. If profits are a primary concern for a business owners Woocommerce would be the way to go.

WooCommerce can be customized and is flexible:

WooCommerce has advance customization add-ons. From the front-end user experience, to the design, and to back-end administrative tools, you will have complete and utter control of the look and feel of the online store. Shopify, though good, is not nearly as flexible, nor is it as powerful for you to handle high-end features.

WooCommerce is created by WooThemes a company that is known for creative layouts (look and feel) and vast number of extensions. With Shopify you would need to pay monthly and transaction fees to use its service. Shopify has more montly paid application software available, but the number of plugins that WooCommerce has outnumbers those of Shopify’s application software..

Many of these extensions, some of which come as standard on Shopify, will be free because WordPress is an open source project but there are also many advance add-on apps that is inexpensive and could be bought once off.

Shopify is relativly easy for a new user to use, but it is limiting in comparison to what's available with WooCommerce. Many of the features are available on WooCommerce due to the huge amount of plugins.

Shopify uses a propriety programming language that is used exclusively only with Shopify. WooCommerce uses PHP and HTML, which is common among web developers.

Shopify makes it harder on to customize the appearance and experience of the online store.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, makes it easy for developers the look and experience of the online store.

Shopify cannot be used as a blogging platform although they have a add-on that you need to pay for blog posts. Woocommerce blog is better organized and archives posts better – giving you a better chance of making a splash with your content creation techniques.

If you understand the value that Google ranks content and blogging, you’ll choose WooCommerce. WordPress is currently the worlds best blogging platform.

A robust blogging platform will enable you to stay ahead of the competition.

Summary

Shopify is a nice option for a small startup, with its out-the-box ease of use. Woocommerce has more custom 3rd party plugins that will address area's like online bookings, subscription membership, multi-vendor shop owners, deposit payments and community membership websites.

You store will be hosted on Shopify’s servers, not only will the transaction eat into your profits, you will be limited in what you can do with Shopify in comparison to WooCommerce.

The steep differences in cost, the amount of third party plugins and themes, the vast customization options—all of this is blended into one satisfying product.

We believe that WooCommerce is more flexible and will save you money over the monthly fees of Shopify.